Agenda item

Outline planning application with all matters reserved for erection of petrol filling station, restaurant and 50-bedroom hotel with associated access, car parking and landscaping (resubmission).  [Huntington/New Earswick Ward][Site Visit]

Members considered a major outline application by Enita Europe Limited for outline planning permission with all matters reserved for erection of a petrol filling station, restaurant and a 50 bedroom hotel with associated access, car parking and landscaping.

Officers advised that since the committee report had been prepared, a detailed consultation response had been received from the Strategic Flood Risk Engineer which raised no objection to the proposal subject to strict compliance with the submitted site specific Flood Risk Assessment. Officers therefore advised that draft reason 3 for refusal should be withdrawn.

Eamon Keogh of O’Neill Associates addressed the committee on behalf of local residents of Beechwood Lodge and Beechwood Cottage as well as the Holiday Inn on Malton Road,  in objection to the application. He stated that the proposals would not serve the local area, did not represent local transport infrastructure and therefore constituted inappropriate development in the Green Belt and special circumstances had not been demonstrated. He advised that proposed development would have a negative impact on residential amenity by way of light pollution, noise and general disturbance. 

David Marjoram of ELG Planning addressed the committee as agent on behalf of the applicant in support. He advised that Highways England accepted that there was a current gap in services provision in this area and confirmed that there was no suitable alternative site outside the Green Belt for provision of services. He explained that the development  would be contained in the wider landscape with boundary planting. He stated that a noise and light assessment had been submitted and that the proposals would not have an adverse effect on the highway network.

Members were advised that a holding direction from Highways England meant that they were not able to approve the application, therefore their only options were to refuse or defer the application at this stage.

Members disputed the view that the proposals would only have a “minimal effect” on the Green Belt. They expressed the view that this was the wrong location for such a wide scale development which they felt would harm the Green Belt and have a negative impact on residential amenity. They did not accept that it represented local transport infrastructure and noted that this was a pinch point for  traffic coming off the A64. They noted that there was no backing from Highways England who would have removed the direction if they had been happy with the proposals.

Resolved:  That the application be refused.

Reason:     The proposed development is inappropriate within the Green Belt within the definition outlined in paragraphs 89 and 90 of the National Planning Policy Framework and therefore by definition materially harmful to its openness. The proposal runs clearly contrary to the principles of including land within the Green Belt namely the prevention of encroachment into open countryside and the safeguarding of the setting of historic towns and cities. No case for "very special circumstances" has been brought forward overcome the strong policy presumption against inappropriate development within the Green Belt and  to justify the clearly unacceptable harm that the development  would cause to the character and openness of the Green Belt.

                   The proposed development would give rise to a severe and on-going harmful impact to the residential amenity of occupants of  the adjacent residential properties Beechwood Lodge and Beechwood Cottage in terms of light pollution, noise and general disturbance contrary to paragraph 17 of the National Planning Policy Framework "Core Planning Principles" and Policy GP1 of the York Development Control Local Plan.

Insufficient information has been forthcoming with the proposal to be able to judge impact upon traffic flows within the surrounding highway network  arising from the development notably in respect of impact upon accident levels in the immediate surroundings, base line traffic flows within the immediate surroundings and cumulative impacts arising from other recently approved developments in the locality.